12/06/2004
NEWS STORY
McLaren boss Ron Dennis has confirmed that the teams have agreed to a new qualifying format, which will be introduced at Silverstone in July, but refused to give further details on the precise format.
As previously reported, Bernie Ecclestone has been pushing for a format that would consist of two twenty-minute sessions, during which drivers would have to complete six laps in each session, with grid positions based on the aggregate times from the two sessions.
It's unclear if this is the format that has been agreed by the teams.
"The final version of the new qualifying procedure was agreed and signed off today and will be introduced at Silverstone," Dennis told reporters in Montreal.
A new format was introduced in 2003 as part of the sport's attempt to spice itself up. Further changes have been made to the format this year, but these have proved unpopular with fans, broadcasters and many of those inside the paddock.